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Seahawks punter's wife designs purse allowed at CenturyLink games

Comedian Sarah Colonna designed a special purse that meets NFL requirements for bags allowed into Safeco Field. She often attends Seahawks games as her husband is punter Jon Ryan. (Courtesy of Sarah Colonna)

Anyone who has tried to take a bag or purse into a Seahawks game can testify that it is no easy feat. It prompted one player’s wife to make it easier.

“They have a clear bag policy; unless the bag is 4.5 x 6.5 inches — in that case you can have a regular purse, but that is a really hard size to find,” said Sarah Colonna. “Once a month that’s not the most fun for a woman; ‘Oh, cool, everyone gets to know my business right now.'”

Colonna has a lot of titles: comedienne; actress; writer; and now handbag designer. She's also married to Seahawks punter Jon Ryan and therefore takes in her fair share of football games.

According to CenturyLink Field's stadium guide, fans are pretty limited when it comes to bringing bags into events. Only clear plastic 12 inch x 12 inch bags are allowed, though spectators are also allowed to bring clear one-gallon freezer bags. Not that stylish.

When it comes to purses, as Colonna said, only the small clutch size is allowed. It can be a problem when often attending Seahawks games.

“I talked to Jon and said, ‘Maybe I should just design one.’ And he said, ‘Are you serious? Because that’s an amazing idea,’” Colonna recalled.

She started networking with a friend in the handbag industry. After working with a designer, Clutch Women was created, specializing in purses fit for NFL games.

“I was trying to make them unique … it’s super nice,” Colonna said. “It’s stain resistant. You can wipe it with a cloth. It will last forever because it’s nice material.”

“In the lining, it’s my handwriting which is not the best … it’s a little serial killerish, I wrote a bunch of phrases about what makes you a good friend,” she said.

The words inside the clutches, in Colonna’s handwriting, are ‘fearless,’ ‘independent,’ and ‘strong.’

“You open it up and be reminded that you are awesome,” she said.

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